Picking and choosing a web design agency

What level of expertise and customization can you afford? The very first thing to consider when starting to look for a web design agency to see what it is they have already done to date. See too, also, who they have worked for to date too. Different web design agencies might specialize in certain types of CMS platforms and strategy styles. They also might have specializations. This is in terms of what other bolt on services they are able to give you too, also.

No web design agency is ever the same. So just note this in your mind when you may in the market and shopping around for a web design or web development agency. They will all do things in a different way and manner. Also, they will all have their own ways as to how they deliver their services too.

Have a good look and see where the agency is located

While it’s more and more common for companies to operate entirely remotely, you might want to look into if they have a physical office. If it’s important to you that you’re able to stop in and talk with someone. Ask to schedule an appointment when you can drop in. You can also take a look at their Google page and see if there are posted photos of an office.

Depending on your needs, consider whether you are more interested in a larger company. They may offer more comprehensive web design agency services or more interested in a smaller, more personalized web design agency. It can be good to call around and have conversations with different agencies. Do so to get a sense of which might be a good fit for you.

See too as to what they may specialise in

Different web design agencies might specialize in certain types of CMS platforms and strategy styles. They also might have specializations in terms of the types of businesses that hire them. Consider the type of service you are looking for before reaching out to an agency. If you are looking strictly looking for front-end development, choosing a web designer over an agency may actually make more sense from a cost perspective.

However, if you need the strategy behind a website, seeking web design agencies specializing in web strategy, design and development may serve you better. Also consider your niche – a firm that specializes in your niche may have a pre-build model that will get you results faster. (although confirm what the flexibility is – be careful of cookie-cutter playbooks!) If you’re a roofing contractor, working with an agency that has tons of experience with service businesses could help. You might be better off than one that builds sites for e-commerce companies.

Check also if they may know about SEO

Most web design agencies will give at least some lip service to SEO. But how much do they really know about it? Are they experts, or are they just recycling sound bites from other agencies? One way to determine whether they practice what they preach is to look into whether they apply SEO and digital marketing strategies to their own company.

What type of online advertising are they doing, if any? Is their website optimized? You’re trying to grow your business, and in the competitive world of online marketing, you want all the help you can get. If an agency doesn’t appear to be very concerned with its own digital marketing and search ranking, you might want to find someone else for the job.

Overall

The experience and expertise of web design agencies will vastly differ. The next question you’ll want to look into is how long they’ve been in business. How many projects have they worked on that is similar to yours? Can you take a look at the final outcome? More than just how long an agency has been in business, though, you also want to look into how impressive their previous project experience is. If the company has been around for ten years but they don’t have much to dazzle you with, maybe they’re not the agency for you. Just make sure you don’t just go with the first agency you speak to. Make sure you don’t just do this all on price too.